TWO

Hoss kicked at the embers of the fire he’d kindled the night before. There was some life left in them and he was tempted to throw another log on and linger a little while longer.  The morning was dawning and it was a cold one, hearkening back more to the winter that had passed than the summer that was on its way.  February and March in the Nevada territory were funny things.  They was kind of like a girl.  One minute she’d be lookin’ at you, battin’ her eyelashes and smilin’, and the next thing you knew you’d feel the sting of her hand on your cheek.

“That ain’t all that’s stingin’ today,” the teenager chuckled to himself as he bent to pick up the pot of leftover coffee he had nestled in the coals. His toes and fingers were.  And his ears.  ‘Course Mama would have told him that was ‘cause someone was talkin’ about him.

Hoss scowled as he stood with a cup of hot coffee in his hands.  He knew right sure who that was.

Pa.

Pa’s bein’ so mad had spooked him, maybe more than what had happened to Little Joe.  Oh, he’d seen his pa mad before, but mostly the older man’s anger came and went like a sudden storm, driving hard and then quickly fading away.  This time had been different.  When they got to the house, Pa carryin’ Joe and him and Adam followin’ close behind, he got the distinct impression that he wasn’t wanted.  That’s why Pa had sent him instead of Adam to go to town for Doc Martin.

He wanted him out of his sight.

So when he got back he stayed out of his sight.  Maybe he was hidin’ in the barn like Adam said.

Probably, he was.

He didn’t never want to see that look in his Pa’s eyes again.

Behind him Chubb blew out air and nickered.  Then he stamped the ground with his foot.  The young horse wanted to get on the move.  Hoss tossed the remainder of his coffee onto the embers, watched it sizzle for a second, and then crossed over to the big black animal.  Taking him by the bridle, he pulled his head close and rubbed his nose.  Then he looked down the long road before him.  Adam had asked him if he was heading out to look for Mystery or if he was running away.  Truth to tell, he didn’t know.  He was near eighteen now and old enough to live on his own.  He could just ride on, head to a new town, take on a new name and get a job.  He’d sure as heck had enough trainin’ workin’ for his Pa.  Maybe they’d be better off without him.  Adam was right smart and Little Joe, well, what he lacked in brains, he more than made up in heart.  He was just a big dumb ox like the kids at school used to call him. And Pa?  Well, him and Adam had more than enough to do keepin’ up with little brother.  They didn’t need to worry about him too.

Yeah, right after he found that mare that’s what he’d do.  Much as he didn’t want to put down a healthy livin’ creature, he owed it to his brother.  Adam was right.  If Little Joe knew that horse was out here somewhere, he’d spend every wakin’ minute tryin’ to find it and when he did, he’d ride it and end up gettin’ hurt or killed and that was somethin’ he just couldn’t allow to happen.

It would be, well, his partin’ gift to his family.

Hoss sniffed and returned his eyes to the fire.  He broke some of the coals up with his boot and then poured the rest of his coffee on them.  As he stood there, waitin’ for the fire to fizzle out, he heard a sound – a high-pitched nicker.  The kind of sound that a horse uses to say, ‘I’m here!’  It brought his head up and he looked.

There, on the horizon, her sleek black coat shining like a rainbow in the dawning light, was Mystery.

Hoss remained still for a moment and then made his way to his horse.  He drew his rifle from its holster and walked back, his eyes never leaving the animal that had nearly killed his brother.  Once in position, the teenager raised the rifle and sighted along it.  It was a clear shot.  It would be over in seconds.  It….

She….

She was lookin’ right at him.  Mystery had to know what he was thinkin’ of doin’ and she was just standin’ there, lookin’ at him.  Hoss lifted his finger from the trigger and ran the back of his hand over his face.  He was shakin’ like a leaf.  The teenager lowered the rifle to the ground, no longer sure he could make it a clean shot and he wasn’t about to shoot and miss and leave the horse dyin’ in agony.

Mystery nickered again.  Quietly this time, not yellin’ out a challenge, but kind of sayin’ ‘hello’.  As he stood there, baffled, she left the hillock she had been standin’ on and walked right up to him.  Hoss winced when he saw the remnants of the bridle on her head and the bit of broken rope hangin’ down at its side.  He’d seen his little brother’s fingers curled up tight with the other end of that rope in them.  As the horse stopped before him, he reached for his pistol.  Pulling it out of the holster, the teenager aimed it between her eyes.

She didn’t move.  Only stared back.

Hoss ran a hand across his brow again.  He was sweatin’ like a pig.  “Adam sure was right about you,” he sighed.  “There’s just somethin’….”

The mare bobbed her head up and down, almost as if she understood.

“Ain’t no wonder little brother called you Mystery.”

It was like night and day.  One second the mare was calm as a lake with no wind, and the next she was blowin’ like a storm.  Hoss backed away as the horse began to buck and then reared up on its hind legs, kicking at the sky.

“Whoa, girl.  Whoa!” he said, using the voice that had calmed many a frightened animal.  “Whoa, girl.  It’s all right.  Ain’t no one gonna hurt you.”

It took a few minutes, but in time she calmed.  By the time she did, any thought of puttin’ her down was gone.  Hoss patted her nose, makin’ soft shushing sounds, and then looked into her eyes.  He saw his own reflection there, pale but determined, but even more than that he saw somethin’ in those black depths that shook him to the core. It was a look he hadn’t never seen out of a horse’s eyes before.  It was almost….

Human.

Thinkin’ about it, he knew now that was what he’d seen the first time he looked at her.  He hadn’t been wrong, though what had happened to Little Joe had made him question what he seen.

“You didn’t mean to hurt little brother, did you, girl?  It was what  Little Joe said it when he named you, wasn’t he? ”

Mystery.

“What is it about that name that upsets you, girl?  Can you tell me?”

The mare nickered softly as if in reply.

Hoss laughed.  “So you’re done willin’ now to tell me your secret, but I cain’t understand what you’re sayin’.”  He patted her nose again.  “Now what’re we gonna do about that?”

Mystery shook her head and then she broke away.  Turning tail, she walked a few yards and looked back at him.

Hoss knew that look.  His mama had used it often enough.  She’d put her hands on her hips and say, ‘Well?’

“There’s no disputin’ you’re a female,” the teenager laughed as he holstered his rifle and stepped up into the saddle.

“Go ahead, girl,” Hoss said as he directed Chubb toward her.  “Show me your stuff.”

“Joseph Francis Cartwright!  You had better show yourself right now, young man!”

Joe swallowed hard and winced as his father’s voice boomed through the quiet house.  At his feet Rogue whined, sensing trouble to come.  He hadn’t had much to eat the night before and his stomach had been growling, so he’d decided to come downstairs and get a snack.  Since the light hurt his eyes so much, he’d kept them closed and let the dog lead him, passing quickly through the great room and into the kitchen.  He’d been so sure he could make it there and back to his room before his pa found out.

“Joseph! Answer me!”

No such luck.

Catching hold of Rogue’s furry neck, Joe let the animal lead him into the hall that connected the kitchen to the dining room.  When he felt the light from the window strike his eyes, he halted.

“I’m here, Pa.”

He heard his father’s sigh of relief.  Then his strident steps.

“And just what do you think you’re doing, young man?  Paul told you to remain in your room.”

“Ah, Pa.”  He knew he was whining, but then why shouldn’t he?  After all, he deserved better than he was getting.  “I’m tired of being stuck in that old room.  It ain’t….”  Joe paused.  Best not to add the sin of bad grammar to his other countless crimes. “It isn’t any darker up there than it is down here.  Besides, no one was around and I was hungry.”

There was a pause.  “How are your eyes today?”

Joe didn’t really know.  So far he’d kept them shut mostly because, well, because he was scared.  He’d been awake when they thought he was asleep and he’d heard Doc Martin mention the possibility of blindness.

A hand came down on his shoulder.  “Joseph?”

Joe started.  He drew in a deep breath and then shook his head.

A moment later his father’s hand was applied to his back and he was directed forward.  “Come with me.”

Joe didn’t know where they were going, but he thought it was into pa’s office.  He was sure when his father helped him to sit on the edge of the desk.

“The curtains are drawn.  You know how dark it is in here,” Pa said.  “Son, I want you to open your eyes.”

Joe could hear Rogue snuffling around the room.  He didn’t know why, but the sound leant him some strength.

“Do I gotta?”

“Yes.  We need to know what is happening.”

Joe squinted and then, cautiously, opened his left eye.  Even though the knot was above it, curiously, it hurt less than the other one.  Cautiously he opened the right one as well.

“Everything’s blurry.”

“How blurry?”

Joe thought a moment.  He didn’t want to scare his pa, but he wanted to be honest.  “You know how it is when the wind blows dust in your eyes and they water?  Kind of like that.”

“So you can see?”

“Shapes, Pa.  Shadows. “  He lifted his head and looked in the direction of the older man’s voice.  “I can tell you’re there, but I can’t really tell that it’s you.”

The shape moved.  A second later there was a familiar whoosh as his father drew the curtains back and light flooded into the office area.  “What about now?”

Tears fell from Joe’s eyes.  It was like someone had taken a spike and driven it all the way through his right eye into his left.

“It hurts, Pa.”

His father quickly closed the curtains.  A moment later Joe felt the consolation of his father’s arms.  “I’m sorry, Joseph.  I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“I know that, Pa.”  Joe sniffed.  As he did, Rogue whined low in sympathy.  The thought of the dog worrying about him made his mind go to another person he loved who was in pain.  “Just like I know Hoss didn’t mean to hurt me by keeping Mystery in the corral.”

He felt his father stiffen.  “Yes.”

“Hoss was awful upset, Pa.”

“Yes, I know.”

Joe blinked as he tried to bring his father’s face into focus.  The older man’s voice was hard to read.  “Are you still mad at Hoss, Pa?”

His father released him.  He placed a hand on his head briefly and then dropped into the desk chair.  “No.  I’m not angry at him anymore – or at Mystery.”

Joe brightened.  “Really, Pa?  You’re not gonna put her down?”

There was a hesitation in the older man’s voice.  “That may be out of my hands, Joseph.  Your brother went to do it.”

“Adam?  Adam’s gonna shoot Mystery?”

Another pause.

“No.  Hoss.”

Those words were a betrayal he didn’t quite know what to do with.  “Hoss?  Why?”

Joe felt his father’s hand on his sleeve.  “Your brother feels responsible for what happened to you.  I’d ordered him to get rid of the horse.  He didn’t.  You were hurt.”

“But that’s stupid!”

“Joseph, mind your tongue.”

“I’m sorry, Pa, but it is.  Hoss would never do anything to hurt me.  I know that!  Is he coming home tonight?  Can I talk to him?  Please let me talk to him, Pa.  Don’t send me back up to my room!”

After a moment his father said softly, “That is precisely what I am going to do, young man, if you do not calm down.”

Joe sniffed in his tears.  “Yes, sir.”

His father rose to his feet and began to pace.  Joe tried to follow him with his eyes, but it was like trackin’ a fish underwater – it made him feel sick.  “I would let you talk to your brother but, following in your footsteps, Hoss has defied me and left without so much as a word.”

Joe blinked.  “Hoss is…gone?”

It was one word, but there was a lot of pain in it.  “Yes.”

He hopped down from the desk and nearly tripped over Rogue who had fallen asleep under his feet.  Catching himself, Joe held onto the corner of it.  “Pa, we gotta go after him!”

“We will do no such thing.  Adam has gone after your brother.”

“But, Pa!  Hoss needs to hear it from you and me.  What if….  What if he won’t come back?”

Hi father was silent a moment.  “Your middle brother is old enough to make his own choices.”

Joe just couldn’t believe what he was hearing!  He opened his mouth to protest, but decided it was useless.  When his pa was in one of his moods, getting him to change his mind was like trying to move a granite block with a feather.

“I’m tired, Pa.  Can I go lay down on the settee?”

A hand lighted on his forehead.  Instantly.  “Are you ill?”

Joe shook his head and then winced and wished he hadn’t.  “It’s just my eyes.  It makes me tired when I use them too long.”

“Headaches?”

“Yes, sir.”

“How about your balance?”

Joe shrugged as his father took him by the elbow and helped him over to the settee.  “I got down the stairs all right.”

“We’ll talk about that later.  You rest now.  That’s an order.”

He could hear his dog whimpering somewhere nearby.  “What about Rogue?  Can he stay with me?”

The silence stretched out so long this time Joe feared he’d committed yet another sin.

“He can sleep on the floor by you.  No dogs on the furniture.”

Joe beamed as he signaled the dog to come lie beside him.  “Sure thing, Pa.”

“And Joseph, don’t you worry about your brother.  Adam will find Hoss and he’ll bring him back, and maybe Mystery too.  I’m sure of it.”

“I’m sure you’re right,” he said as he lay back against the pillows.

“You rest, son.  I’m going to –”

A knock on the door cut his father off mid-sentence.  Joe sat back up.  “Who do you think that is, Pa?”

“You lay down.  Try to get some sleep.  I’ll find out.”

Joe watched as the older man opened the door and a tall thin red-headed man stepped into the house.  He thought it was Phil Carter, their current foreman at the logging camp.  At a glare from his father, Joe scrunched down on the settee and closed his eyes, but he fought sleep, attempting to remain awake so he could hear what the two men were saying.  Unfortunately, his eyes were throbbing like an infected wound and he kept drifting in and out.

“…is it, Phil?”

“…need you at the camp, Ben. …trouble.”

“What trouble?”

“Accident.  Martin’s dead…need you..”

“ …Joseph…can’t leave him. …up to you.”

“No, sir…law’s involved…up to you….”

Joe blinked as the sound of the door opening awakened him.  He sat up, opened his good eye, and peered over the back of the settee.

His father was standing with one hand on the knob.  The other pulled at his chin.  “I suppose Hop Sing can manage.  At least for a few days.”

“Then you’ll come, Ben?”

“I don’t see that I have any choice.  I’ll leave first thing in the morning.”

As the two men walked out the door, Joe turned back and rested his head on the pillow.  He reached down and caressed Rogue’s head as he thought about how it really was like his pa said, God did work in mysterious ways.  He’d decided earlier that arguing with his pa about going after Hoss wasn’t going to do any good.  Pa’d made his mind up.  Just like he’d made his mind up that what that meant was that he was gonna have to do somethin’ about it on his own.  Hoss was good at tracking.  So was Adam.  But he knew someone who was even better.

As fatigue and pain rose up once gain to claim him, Joe patted his shirt.  As if on command, Rogue stood up and put his hairy paws on his shirt.

“What’s say you and me ask if its okay to go fishin’ tomorrow after Pa leaves, boy?  I bet you can find Hoss before Hop Sing even knows we’re gone.”

His co-conspirator eyed him, and then he gave him a big wet kiss.

Joe laughed.  “Aw! Save it for Hoss.”

When Ben came in ten minutes later he found the pair asleep on the settee.  Not having the heart to wake them, he tossed a blanket over both boy and dog.  After that the older man headed into the kitchen to talk to his cook and friend about his unexpected trip to the logging camp, completely unaware that the choice he had just made would bring ruin to them all.